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Musings of a Gear HeadMon, 22 Dec 2025 20:20:56 +0000en-US
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3232127091233importnut’s 2021 Dodge Challenger Scat Pack Widebody
https://importnut.net/importnuts-2021-dodge-challenger-scat-pack-widebody/
Mon, 01 Sep 2025 16:46:00 +0000https://importnut.net/?p=4632You may be thinking, a Dodge Challenger is not an import. I would say it’s a German platform with an engine and transmission built in Mexico and assembled in Canada. That aside, here is my F8 Green 2021 Dodge Challenger Scat Pack Widebody with manual transmission.
I’ve been craving a RWD V8 powered toy and over the past few years, I started to lean towards the Dodge boys.
Why a Dodge? Going back to my childhood, I grew up a Mopar guy. This predates my love of imports and as much as I still love my imports, I felt the need to return to my roots.
I test drove the Challenger in 2020 as well as a Mustang GT. The Mustang is a great car and I love the high revving Coyote engine. However, I didn’t love it like I loved the Challenger. I wasn’t looking for a corner carver, just something to really enjoy.
Thinking of my childhood, Loving Mopars and building models of them, The challenger has that 60’s/70’s vibe that the Mustang and Camaro do not have. Between the styling and the color options, I just had to go with the Challenger. Even the exhaust has that old muscle car tone.
For the sake of hauling my family, I did strongly consider the Charger. I love it as much as the Challenger, but no manual transmission. A few years back, I had a Charger R/T as a rental car. I loved the 8 speed ZF transmission. If I felt that the Charger was the better option, I knew I would still enjoy the automatic.
In the end, I just had to hear the the rise and fall of the 6.4 L Hemi sound through the manual transmission. Challenger it is! We have other family haulers in our fleet!
Specs:
392 and a 6 Speed Manual
Widebody
6 Piston Brembo upgrade
Adaptive Damping Suspension
20×11 inch wheels
305 35 20 Pirelli tires
Driver Convenience Package
Carbon/Suede interior
Plus Package
Harmon Kardon Audio
I did mention that I wasn’t looking for a corner carver. I still had to give it a try!
The Scat Pack, and especially the widebody, makes it the sportiest version of the Challenger. I understand it has the stiffest front springs of any Challenger. How did it hold up at an autocross? Better than you would expect, but it’s definitely not a Miata.
For as large as the car is, it was still easy enough to maneuver through slaloms and tighter sections. The upgraded Pirellis are not up to the task. I had swapped the Brembo pads for less grabby Hawk Street HP 5.0’s and they weren’t up to the task. Beyond that, I think a proper set of tires and a more track suitable pad would make this an absolute blast at an autocross.
As I’ve already mentioned, I wanted a fun car to experience. The Challenger does that well. For autocrossing, I still have my Civic.
Overall, I’m really happy with the Challenger. It checks a lot of the right boxes. There are more refined and civilized cars out there but I just wasn’t interested!
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4632Importnut’s ’94 Civic Si Hatch
https://importnut.net/importnuts-94-civic-si-hatch/
Thu, 28 Aug 2014 23:00:35 +0000http://importnut.net/?p=840Here is my ’94 Civic Hatchback. I’ve owned this car since October of 2002. I bought it shortly after I totaled my ’95 Civic Coupe. I’ve managed to keep a few bits and pieces of that first Civic which I bought new in 1995. My civic went from daily driver to a dedicated project car/autocrosser in 2007 after a catastrophic engine failure.
As the years go by, I make an attempt to strategically plan the work I do to try and make cost effective improvements as they relate to autocrossing. As I learn more about suspension tuning, and tire tech, I feel as if I can hone in on the best modifications for the money spent.
Building my Civic into a Street Modified FWD nationals level contender would be a blast. However, I only run at the local level and having a 300+ hp civic running 275 35 15 Hoosiers up front is overkill. I’ve been successful running my mild setup on street tires and I’m satisfied with the incremental improvements I’ve made over the years.